Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
Flea Finds His Jazz Thing
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Grammy-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves received an honorary Doctorate of Musical Arts degree during Berklee College of Music’s 2003 Commencement in Boston.
Reeves, along with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, spoke to the 600 graduating students and 3,000 invited guests during the May 10 ceremony, after which Berklee President Lee Eliot Burk presented them with their diplomas. The two also performed with the graduating class at the commencement concert the previous night.
Producer and Berklee graduate Arif Mardin joined Burk to present the degree to Reeves. Mardin produced Reeves upcoming album, A Little Moonlight, set for Blue Note Records release on August 19. Reeves and her working trio, pianist Peter Martin, bassist Rueben Rogers and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, recorded the collection of standards and are touring to promote the album. They will be at the St. Louis Jazz Festival on June 20.
For more information, go to www.bluenote.com or www.diannereeves.com
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
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